Emma's Nightmare
by leighann415
Summary: This is for the lovely Baroness (BaronessBlixen). Emma has a nightmare about killing Cruella, and she gets the help she needs. Hope you had a happy birthday! *hugs*


**Author's Note:** This is for the lovely Baroness (BaronessBlixen). This is probably set sometime after "Sympathy for the DeVil." Just a little fluffy story I thought I would do for her birthday. And I think we could use something like it now. Enjoy & happy birthday! I could never thank you & Kristen3 enough for getting me into this show. And thanks for Kristen3 for reading part of this too.

Emma woke with a start. She could still hear Cruella's scream as she fell to her death in her mind, over and over again. _When will this end?_ she thought. If only Elsa were still here, she'd know how to help her. Elsa was the only person who ever really understood her in Storybrooke. And Emma missed her friend. But, unless...there _was_ another person right here who always believed in her and stood by her no matter what. She suddenly made up her mind to go talk to him. And she just knew right where he'd be.

She slowly rose from her bed, and tiptoed through the loft. She didn't want anybody to stop her. She made a plan. She would go on foot, to avoid anybody hearing her start the car. She needed the walk anyway.

The night air was cold. But the moon was out, shining bright. If this were any other time, she would stop and enjoy it. But it wasn't. _What have I done_? She didn't know how the people she loved would ever look at her the same way again. She wasn't their Savior anymore.

Before she knew it, she was at the docks, near the horizon. She saw a shadowy figure sitting on the edge of the docks, and smiled, despite herself. She relived that moment over and over when Killian had sold his ship for her. Because of her, he wasn't a captain anymore. But she loved him for it. Loved him for everything he was.

She made her way to him and silently sat beside him. He startled at first, but then smiled. She could see it through the light of the moon.

"I knew you'd be here. I-I couldn't sleep."

He brought his free hand around her shoulders. "Aye, I know what that's like. I sort of sensed you were coming. What's the matter, love?"

A tear started its way down. She didn't deserve someone like him. After all this time. Neal would always hold a special place in her heart, but Killian...He was far different. She took her time before speaking, but she finally knew she could trust him. Trust him with everything in her. "I had a nightmare about the other day...Killing Cruella. I keep replaying it in my mind over and over. And I hear her scream. I don't know how to stop it."

Killian let her cry for a minute before he spoke, "Emma, I've done some things I wish I could take back too, and that includes killing. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't let it get to you. It's just like darkness. It'll suck all the life out of you and you won't be able to go back, even if you tried."

She knew he was right. He was always right, but still, she was afraid to go back to sleep, fear of hearing that scream again. There was another thing that was worrying at her too. Henry.

"I'm afraid Henry will hate me after what I've done. Just look at my parents and me. I pushed them away for so long, and I don't want Henry to do the same."

Killian stroked her back. "Henry can't hate you, love. He loves you for who you are. And weren't you trying to protect him by killing Cruella?"

"Yes, but I've never done anything like that before. And Storybrooke isn't exactly the calmest place in the world, and what if it happens again? I don't know if I could handle it."

"You _will_ be able to handle it. The best thing you can do right now is just move on. Cruella wanted to harm Henry, you protected him. That's all that matters. Which doesn't make killing right. But under this circumstance, it was the only option. If Henry were my son, I probably would've done the same thing."

Suddenly, she wanted to go home and see her family. She _needed_ to see them. "Take me home, Killian."

He smiled and said, "Are you sure you want me there?"

"Yes."

That was all that she needed to say. They rose from their spot on the docks, and walked hand-in-hand under the moonlight, all the way to the loft.

When they got to the door, Emma didn't know how she knew, but she knew everyone would be waiting for her. And when she opened the door, she found she was right. Her parents were up, looking worried. Even Henry was there.

She went to her parents first and hugged them. "We were so worried, Emma! When we found you weren't around, and you didn't even take the car," her mom said.

Emma smiled. "I didn't want anyone to worry."

Her dad looked at her with all the love that a father could have and said, "Of _course_ we were worried. You're our daughter. We want to be sure you're safe."

Emma looked back at Killian, who smiled, only for Emma. "You don't have to worry about that. I've got somebody who always watches over me."

Henry came over then, and hugged her. "Hey, kid, why are you up so late?"

"Same reason they are," Henry smiled. "But why did you sneak off like that?"

Emma sighed. She could feel Killian coming closer to her. "I'll be honest with you. I had a nightmare about the other day."

"Cruella? Why would you have a nightmare about that? You were a hero."

Emma smiled, despite the pain in her veins. "I wasn't, Henry. I _killed_ her. That's not being a hero. But I'm never going to do that again, no matter what danger there is. And you don't have to worry about anyone coming after you."

Henry hugged her again. "Thanks, Mom. I love you."

Emma's heart soared. She didn't know how long it's been since hearing those magic words. She knew one thing, she didn't have to worry about Henry hating her. And by having the people she loved around her, she knew she would be able to get through anything. She knew she would sleep calmly the rest of the night.

 **The End**


End file.
